Inpatient/Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Pain Medicine in New York

Information about this clinical experience:

You will be under the supervision of a physician board-certified in both anesthesiology and pain medicine. The preceptor completed medical school and residency training in the New York City area. The physician currently holds a hospital staff appointment at Northwell Health.

The attending has developed expertise in cutting-edge interventional pain procedures and utilizes an extensive breadth of knowledge and technical ability to provide relief to patients suffering from pain. The preceptor is a strong proponent of delivering patient-centered care and is well regarded as a kind, caring, warmhearted, and professional physician who gives patients undivided attention and time. Patients greatly appreciate how the doctor explains their conditions in an easy-to-understand manner.

In this practice, you will encounter patients in acute and chronic pain and learn how an anesthesiologist with advanced training in pain management can provide high-quality care. You will appreciate the effects of pain on the patient's quality of life and function and understand how to best interact with patients in a compassionate and empathetic manner.

Patients with a wide variety of complaints will be seen, including those with neck and back pain. Workup to establish the etiology of the pain disorder will be undertaken and may reveal such diagnoses as cervical radiculopathy, herniated disc, and spinal stenosis among other conditions. A multimodal approach to pain management will be emphasized which, at times, may involve procedures such as steroid injections, minimally invasive disc surgery, and spinal cord stimulator implantation. Patient education is a priority for this attending and rotators will learn how to explain conditions, test results, and treatment options using anatomical models to facilitate understanding.

The inpatient component of this clinical experience will take place two days per week in an ambulatory surgery center where the attending performs procedures. At this facility, you will also be able to spend time with his anesthesiology colleague who is practicing traditional anesthesia for surgeons and other providers performing cases. You will learn how to position patients, set up the monitoring equipment, draw up medications for administration during OR cases, induce anesthesia, and monitor patients during the procedure and in the postoperative recovery period.

During your experience, you will learn the following U.S. medical practices under the preceptor’s supervision:

• Taking patient histories.

• Providing patient education.

• Researching the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.

• Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.